Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock-based Compensation (Details 2)

v2.4.1.9
Stock-based Compensation (Details 2) (USD $)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Stock Based Compensation    
Share-based compensation $ 2,054,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense $ 2,364,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
Employee Stock Option    
Stock Based Compensation    
Number of homogenous groups for purposes of determining fair values of options 3rigl_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsNumberOfHomogenousGroupsForDeterminingFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
 
Contractual term of the option 10 years  
Weighted-average assumptions relating to options granted    
Risk-free interest rate (as a percent) 1.80%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
2.20%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsRiskFreeInterestRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Expected term (in years) 6 years 6 months 6 years 6 months
Dividend yield (as a percent) 0.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedDividendRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
0.00%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedDividendRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Expected volatility (as a percent) 64.90%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedVolatilityRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
75.20%us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardFairValueAssumptionsExpectedVolatilityRate
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Additional disclosures    
Options granted (in shares) 3,505,125us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
3,188,150us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Options outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)   700,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsOutstandingNumber
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Grant-date weighted-average fair value (in dollars per share) $ 1.31us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
$ 2.36us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodWeightedAverageGrantDateFairValue
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
Total unrecognized compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures 8,300,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognizedStockOptions
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
 
Shares of common stock available for future grant 4,482,439us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
 
Options exercised during the period (in shares) 7,662us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesStockOptionsExercised
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
 
Employee Stock Option | Consultant    
Stock Based Compensation    
Contractual term of the option 10 years  
Employee Stock Option | Recipient Of Performance Shares    
Additional disclosures    
Options granted (in shares) 1,175,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
/ us-gaap_TitleOfIndividualAxis
= rigl_RecipientOfPerformanceSharesMember
950,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardOptionsGrantsInPeriodGross
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockOptionMember
/ us-gaap_TitleOfIndividualAxis
= rigl_RecipientOfPerformanceSharesMember
Performance Shares    
Stock Based Compensation    
Share-based compensation $ 600,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember
$ 227,000us-gaap_AllocatedShareBasedCompensationExpense
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_PerformanceSharesMember